Liquid Engineering Design and Installation

So it makes sense that getting the design and installation of your liquid engineering services right – first time – is an important business decision.

At Premier Garage Equipment, you’re in great hands. We have years of experience in liquid engineering. Our managing director and sales director – Jonathan Jennings and Marcus Varney – both worked for BP/Castrol for 45 years between them, specialising in liquid engineering. When Jonathan founded PGE, this expertise came too and is so sought after that we now deliver these services back to BP/Castrol.

If you choose to work with us, here’s how we approach the design and installation phase. First, we recommend a site survey.

Site Survey

Occasionally, we encounter obstacles, usually connected with the size and shape of your premises, but with thousands of products on the market today – and our bespoke design services – we’re confident we can always solve such challenges.

Whether you need a completely new liquid engineering solution or an upgrade of your existing systems, we have the skills and expertise to manage both. For upgrades, once the site survey is complete, we can usually provide you with a quote. However, for systems overhauls, we may need to produce CAD drawings to illustrate our ideas and help you make important decisions.

Design

We often supply standard sized tanks – this is always an option in spaces where they fit – but roughly 50% of projects we work on require a bespoke liquid engineering system. Each system is constructed using a range of components including pumps, alarms, pipework, reels, wall bars, meters and equipment to carefully calibrate and monitor dispensing flow.

In the case of oil, it must be stored in a tank which is compliant with current oil storage regulations. From the tank, the oil is pumped through pipework to its intended destination (each destination will be mapped out during the site survey). It can then be dispensed by a technician using a pull-out oil reel with an oil control valve. The valve has an integrated meter to accurately measure and record dispensing volumes – this is an essential part of any fluid management system.

Our design skill comes into play when designing these systems and calculating the size of the tank and the pipework needed to cover the distance from the tank to the final dispensing point. This distance can range from 2m to 150m and clearly, the specs for each situation are very different. And of course, systems are usually different across differing markets such as car workshops, commercial truck workshops, motorcycle workshops as well as industrial applications.

Remember, once this equipment is up and running, your business can start to reap the rewards. By investing in great quality infrastructure now, you can look forward to business success and growth in the future.

Design Efficiencies

At PGE, we like to think one step ahead. Part of the design process is building in efficiencies wherever possible which can be realised now or years down the line.

In the present day, skilful design means your technicians have everything exactly where they need it to get the job done on time and within budget. In the wider garage environment this can apply to almost anything, but with regards to liquid engineering, a great example of this is how we design your fluid management systems. They can be automated to:

• Monitor and predict usage patterns
• Speed up production times
• Reduce waste and dispensing errors
• Protect profit margins

Design efficiencies also have a role to play in longer-term decisions such as the installation of pipework. If you have plans to grow the business and reorganise physical space such as warehouses and factories, we can factor this in when installing pipework.

Installation  

Our GEA accreditation gives you the reassurance that we’ve been quality-assessed by a third party specialist. They’ve verified that our processes and codes of conduct meet their standards which are among the highest in the industry.

All our technicians are highly trained and have many hours experience under their belts. From time to time, we use sub-contractors, but if we do, we ensure they are trained to the same levels as our own technicians. Often, they are specialists and complement our existing team with additional skills.

All projects are carefully overseen by a team supervisor who is on hand to answer your queries and ensure all aspects of the project run on time and to budget.

Oil Storage Regulations

The oil storage regulations will apply to you if you store (or have the capacity to store) 200 litres upwards of oil. So, how can you ensure that you meet all regulatory requirements when there’s so much to consider?

We’re specialists in this field, and many customers ask us to act as consultants for them simply because they don’t have the time to digest the legislation and decide how it applies to their business. We can do the same for you.

Oil storage is tightly regulated by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The regulations are there for sensible reasons, mainly personal and environmental safety.

In simple terms, the regulations are there to ensure that you conduct a risk assessment and then you implement whatever measures the risk assessment advises. These will include things such as the specification of the containers you use which must have secondary containment around the primary tank. And if the area in which you store oil is evaluated as being high risk there are additional precautions you must take to prevent oil spillages and environmental contamination.

Your risk is likely to increase if you are located near a waterway, an open drain, or any other water source such as a well or spring.

Oil is used in different settings for a number of reasons – for cooking, for power, for vehicles etc – and different types of oil are used including vegetable, biofuel, diesel or petrol – but whatever the reason and whatever the type of oil, you must ensure you are always on the right side of the law or you risk prosecution.

If you are transporting oil, the regulations also apply to the manner in which you do this to limit the damage caused in the event of a collision. Be aware that additional regulations may also apply such as the Carriage of Dangerous Goods.